J&K did the unthinkable on Saturday, as they claimed their maiden Ranji Trophy title, in the long history of the tournament, after beating traditional power-house Karnataka, in Hubbali. Such was the magnitude of the victory, that even J&K CM Omar Abdullah was present at the venue, to witness history being rewritten.
INR 2 Cr for J&K team
And as soon as the boys laid their hands on the trophy, Omar Abdullah announced a cash reward of INR 2 crore for the entire team of J&K. In a post on X, he wrote, “The players will also be entitled to government appointments under the recently notified rules for outstanding sportspersons.”
Auqib Nabi emerges main player
Throughout the season, there were stellar performances from batter and bowlers. Abdul Samad, the swashbuckling IPL batter went on to score 748 runs in 10 matches at an average of 57. Veteran Paras Dogra also was among the runs and got 637 under his belt. Bowling emerged as the stronger suit for the team. Auqib Nabi finished as the highest wicket-taker in the season, with 60 scalps to his name. Sunil Kumar got 31 in his debut season.
As far as the match is concerned, J&K batted Karnataka out of the match. They scored 584 in the first innings, with Shubham Pundir getting 121. Dogra too chipped in with 70. Despite a ton by Mayank Agarwal, Karnataka were bundled out for 293, with Auqib Nabi taking a fifer.
Then in the second turn to bat, J&K scored 342, guided by tons from Qamran Iqbal and Sahil Lotra. In short, the opposition had no chance at all, in the entire match.
